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3256 21St St

Inner Mission, SF 94110 3609022 16 units · 3 fl · 1925

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Inner Mission
Above average
avg 2.6
8
FewerMore

This building has 8 novs (7y), above the Inner Mission average of 2.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 3256 21St St rent-controlled?

San Francisco's Rent Ordinance caps rent increases and provides eviction protection for most residential units built before 1979 with 2+ units. Here's how this building scores.

Built before 1979
Built 1925
2 or more units
16 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC3
Likely rent-controlled. Building age and unit count suggest this property falls under San Francisco's Rent Ordinance.

Based on SF Assessor records. Not legal advice — confirm with the SF Rent Board.

Building characteristics
Units16
Floors3
Year built1925
Total area8,439 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3609022
Ownership

Registered owner per SF Assessor-Recorder (secured roll).

Owner name
Lexington Street Llc
Mailing address
499 Marina Blvd Apt A San Francisco CA 94123
Last sale
020819

Landlord portfolio

Other SF properties this owner holds, with risk grades for each.

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 16-unit, 3-story apartment building at 3256 21st Street in San Francisco's Inner Mission neighborhood, owned by Lexington Street LLC, was constructed in 1925 and has undergone several significant renovations and improvements over recent years. Most notably, in 2018, three fourth-floor units (404, 405, and 406) underwent substantial remodeling, including new kitchens, bedrooms, and associated electrical and plumbing upgrades, totaling over $100,000 in improvements. The building has completed its mandatory soft-story retrofit work under Tier 4 requirements, and improvements to the fire alarm system have been implemented, including the installation of low-frequency sounders in accordance with fire safety codes. Several fire safety violations were recorded in 2008 regarding fire escapes and safety devices, but these were resolved and the building has since maintained compliance through regular inspections and prompt attention to code requirements.

The property has experienced periodic maintenance and safety-related issues, particularly regarding its fire alarm and sprinkler systems, as evidenced by multiple fire complaints between 2017 and 2024, though most were resolved promptly as "Condition Corrected" or marked as "No Merit." A significant cluster of violations was recorded in February 2018, including issues with fire escape maintenance, wood stairs, egress obstructions, and the need for carbon monoxide detectors, though these appear to have been addressed based on subsequent inspection records. The building has also undergone various unit conversions and upgrades, including the controversial replacement of garage spaces with living units in the ground floor area, and historical neighborhood concerns regarding window replacements. Recent 311 calls from early 2025 indicate ongoing maintenance challenges in the vicinity, particularly relating to graffiti and waste management, though these appear to be external to the building itself.

AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below

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Risk rating

How 3256 21St St's risk score is calculated

We trained a model on 7 years of SF DBI inspection data — notice of violation filings, complaint history, and owner track records. It estimates the probability that DBI inspectors will issue a Notice of Violation at this address in the next 12 months. Lower % = safer.

What the score means for you

Grade A–B — Low risk

DBI rarely finds violations here. Strong maintenance history and a clean complaint record.

Grade C — Moderate risk

Some past violations or complaints on record. Worth asking the landlord about any open issues before signing.

Grade D–F — High risk

Elevated violation and complaint history. DBI has found issues here before and is statistically likely to again.

Neighborhood percentile
12th percentile

Out of 2380 buildings in this neighborhood, 2094 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
29%
No DBI
violation
71%
DBI violation
likely
Model explanation

What's driving this score

The three data points that most influenced this building's risk rating — ranked by the weight the model placed on each one.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 10.8%
Moderate concern 35.8%
Severe concern 53.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

3256 21St St apartment reviews

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The story over time

3256 21St St event timeline

Violations, complaints, fire incidents, permits, and buyouts — most recent records in order.

2026
311 Request Jan 02
Garbage and debris
other loose garbage debris yard waste

See all 10 events

Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 3256 21St St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

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